Seroprevalence of Japanese encephalitis virus-specific antibodies in Australia following novel epidemic spread: protocol for a national cross-sectional study
,
Keira Glasgow,
Kirsty Hope,
Deborah Williamson,
Tom Snelling,
Angela Ratsch,
Vicki Krause,
Gulam Khandaker,
Kristine Macartney,
Dominic E Dwyer,
Nicola Spurrier,
David O Irving,
Jannah Baker,
Helen O’Brien,
Paul Worley,
Louise Flood,
Jacina Walker,
Nicolas Smoll,
Stephen Lambert,
Jane Nelson,
Noni Ella Winkler,
Archana Koirala,
Guddu Kaur,
Shayal Prasad,
Rena Hirani,
Veronica Hoad,
Iain B Gosbell,
Linda Hueston,
Matthew VN O'Sullivan,
Jen Kok,
Chloe Luscombe,
Adriana Notaras,
Zoe Baldwin,
Jennifer Case,
Tilda Thomson,
Madeleine Marsland,
N Deborah Friedman,
Heidi Carroll,
Candice Holland,
Scott Kitchener,
Josette Chor,
Alice Sykes,
Liam Flynn,
Aleena Williams,
Alexandra Hinchcliff,
Bart Currie,
Rebecca Beazley,
Carmen Hayward
Affiliations
Keira Glasgow
Kirsty Hope
Deborah Williamson
Tom Snelling
Angela Ratsch
Vicki Krause
6 Centre for Disease Control & Environmental Health, NT Health, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Gulam Khandaker
3 Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Kristine Macartney
1 National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Dominic E Dwyer
2 Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nicola Spurrier
SA Health, South Australian Government, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
David O Irving
9 Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, Australia
Jannah Baker
6 The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Helen O’Brien
Paul Worley
Louise Flood
5 Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department for Health and Wellbeing, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Jacina Walker
3 Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Nicolas Smoll
3 Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Stephen Lambert
Jane Nelson
Noni Ella Winkler
1 National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Archana Koirala
1 National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Guddu Kaur
3 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Shayal Prasad
1 National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Rena Hirani
4 Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Veronica Hoad
7 Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Iain B Gosbell
4 Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Linda Hueston
10 New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Matthew VN O'Sullivan
2 Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Jen Kok
10 New South Wales Health Pathology - Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes encephalitis and other morbidity in Southeast Asia. Since February 2022, geographically dispersed JEV human, animal and vector detections occurred on the Australian mainland for the first time. This study will determine the prevalence of JEV-specific antibodies in human blood with a focus on populations at high risk of JEV exposure and determine risk factors associated with JEV seropositivity by location, age, occupation and other factors.Method Samples are collected using two approaches: from routine blood donors (4153 samples), and active collections targeting high-risk populations (convenience sampling). Consent-based sampling for the latter includes a participant questionnaire on demographic, vaccination and exposure data. Samples are tested for JEV-specific total antibody using a defined epitope-blocking ELISA, and total antibody to Australian endemic flaviviruses Murray Valley encephalitis and Kunjin viruses.Analysis Two analytic approaches will occur: descriptive estimates of seroprevalence and multivariable logistic regression using Bayesian hierarchical models. Descriptive analyses will include unadjusted analysis of raw data with exclusions for JEV-endemic country of birth, travel to JEV-endemic countries, prior JEV-vaccination, and sex-standardised and age-standardised analyses. Multivariable logistic regression will determine which risk factors are associated with JEV seropositivity likely due to recent transmission within Australia and the relative contribution of each factor when accounting for effects within the model.Ethics National Mutual Acceptance ethical approval was obtained from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Local approvals were planned to be sought in each jurisdiction, as per local ethics processes. Ethical approval was also obtained from the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood HREC.Dissemination Findings will be communicated to participants and their communities, and human and animal health stakeholders and policy-makers iteratively and after final analyses. Understanding human infection rates will inform procurement and targeted allocation of limited JEV vaccine, and public health strategies and communication campaigns, to at-risk populations.
